Glacier Guard Peel & Stick Underlayment for Low Slope Roofs

12.07.2017

Tips from Bill Shimburski, EcoStar Technical Services Manager I am often asked if EcoStar requires or recommends total Glacier Guard coverage on low slope roofs for Gold Star Warranty jobs. The short answer is, it’s up to the architect / contractor / building owner. Total coverage of Glacier Guard is acceptable but not required for Gold Star Warranty jobs. Let me explain how our products are tested. The EcoStar Gold Star Warranty is a guarantee of the performance of a system. All of our products are tested as a system, not individually. Impact tests, pounds per square foot uplift resistance, and wind driven rain tests are all conducted on deck assemblies that include our underlayment products, our nails, and our roofing tiles. We always test with Glacier Guard installed around the perimeters of the roof, and either AquaGuard or VersaShield on the field of the roof depending on the intended fire rating of the test deck assembly. We never test with total coverage of Glacier Guard.

"The EcoStar Gold Star Warranty is a guarantee of the performance of a system. All of our products are tested as a system, not individually."

Underlayment is the secondary line of protection in the roof system. It is necessary to prevent the infiltration of moisture in the occasional event that the head lap of the tiles is defeated by wind driven rain or ponding snow melt. Head lap is the overlapping of each row of tiles by the next two rows of tiles creating three layers of protection at every nail location. If the underlayment becomes the primary protection (it gets wet every time it rains) it will ultimately fail. Remember, every nail penetrates the underlayment. If every nail is tight, it forces each tile against the underlayment creating a gasketing effect around the nail preventing moisture from getting to the nail hole. In a perfect world, there would be no leakage. Things are never perfect. 3/12 is the minimum approved slope for Gold Star Warranty installations. EcoStar tiles are water shedding, not waterproof. Any roof less than 3/12 should not rely upon shingles or tiles of any kind for keeping water out of the building. Ultimately, the choice of using total Glacier Guard coverage of the roof is up to the architect / contractor / building owner. Total coverage of Glacier Guard is acceptable but not required for EcoStar Gold Star Warranty jobs. If Glacier Guard is used over the entire roof, AquaGuard would then be optional. Total coverage of VersaShield would still be required to obtain a Class A fire rated assembly. For additional information, please contact EcoStar Technical Services at 800-211-7170.